I don't have a bread machine, but my parents do. Does yours have a darkness setting? For some recipes my parents adjust the darkness setting on their machine. Maybe that would change the crispiness of the crust, too.

After it cools down to almost room temperature, store the bread in a plastic bag. This will soften up the crust a lot. I've never timed it, but it should happen quite quickly...within a few hours. Maybe even closer to an hour.

Hello! I'm like you I always thought the bread machine made the crust too tough and crunchy. My solution was to rub it all over with spreadable margarine just as soon as I removed it from the machine. ( We always had a big tub of it so it was easier than using the stick kind.) My kids always called it rubbing lotion on the bread to soften it up. LOL

I just get a good glop on my fingers and rub it on all over. It soaks right into that nice warm crust and makes it soft and tender. I then set it on paper towel on a cooling rack to cool (if it lasts that long) and store in a plastic bag. Hope this helps!